Writing A Comparative Essay Outline: Basic Tutorial For Dummies

A comparative essay is basically about comparing and contrasting two or more topics that are usually assigned. In order to write a strong comparative essay, one of the most important things is to have a solid outline that you plan to follow with very few alterations. When you have one, the next step is basically just putting the information that you have in their intended positions.

How to write a Comparative Essay outline:

Introduction- The first thing you need to have in your outline is an introduction. This will give the required background on the two issues or topics that you are comparing and contrasting. This is where you introduce the things that you will be talking about. You will list the arguments you have for both topics that you will be talking about in the body section. An introduction for this type of paper usually ends with a thesis statement. A thesis statement is a claim plus reasons. Three reasons usually follow the claim.

Body of Paper- The body section covers the next few paragraphs of the paper. The important thing to put in your outline is a list of all the arguments that you plan to present. These are the same arguments you stated in your introduction. Firstly, you list the first argument of the paper and then you would list the points to support the argument that you presented. You will have the chance to expound on these points in the actual essay. A rule of thumb is to talk solely about Topic X in the first paragraph and then solely about Topic Y in the second. The third paragraph could then compare both Topic X and Y while the fourth paragraph could then tell the differences between Topic X and Topic Y.

Conclusion- The last part of your outline and paper will have the conclusion. In the conclusion, you will be restating the thesis that you came up with in the introduction. You will then be reiterating the arguments that you made in the body of the paper, a short summary of each if you will. Finally, it will end with a closing sentence, something that ties your entire paper together.

Writing an outline makes writing the paper a whole lot simpler. When it comes to the actual paper, all you have to do is fill in the blanks. Happy writing!